Miami building collapse: Rescuers still think they can find survivors as desperate search enters fifth day

Four bodies were recovered over the weekend, bringing the total death count from the collapse to nine

Rescue workers in Miami are still hopeful they can locate survivors amidst the towering pile of rubble that was once the Champlain Tower South in Surfside, Florida.

The condo complex collapsed five days ago, leaving nearly more than 150 people unaccounted for and at least ten dead.

Over the weekend four more bodies were found by rescuers, but so the only survivors found were pulled from the wreckage shortly after the collapse.

Rescuers have utilised heavy machinery and dogs in their search, and structural engineers have been on site to help with the recovery.

Much of the rescue operations have taken place beneath the structure, where flooding has resulted in rescuers having to tread through waist high waters to try to find survivors.

The Associated Press reports that early on Monday a crane lifted a large slab of concrete off the debris pile, which allowed approximately 30 rescuers to move in and carry out smaller pieces of debris.

A crane removes debris from the site of the building collapse. (AFP via Getty Images)

The rescue operation has been plagued by intermittent storms, with lightning causing the search to come to a stop on at least two occasions to protect the workers.

On Monday, Andy Alvarez, a deputy incident commander with the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, told ABC's Good Morning America that rescuers have been able to find pockets inside the wreckage, mostly in the basement and the parking garage areas.

"We have over 80 rescuers at a time that are breaching the walls that collapsed, in a frantic effort to try to rescue those that are still viable and to get to those voids that we typically know exist in these buildings," Mr Alvarez said.

He said rescuers have been able to tunnel into the building in order to search for survivors.

"You've gotta have hope and you've gotta have faith," he said.

Dianne Ohayon, whose parents are believed to be buried beneath the rubble, told the AP that she was "just waiting for answers”.

"It's hard to go through these long days and we haven't gotten any answers yet," she said.

Rescue teams look at the rubble. (AFP via Getty Images)

The building was slated to undergo $9m in repairs to "major structural damage" that had been identified nearly three years prior.

Rescuers have been forced to move slowly and methodically through the rubble in order to ensure their safety and the safety of any potential survivors still buried beneath the debris.

"We can't just go in and move things erratically, because that's going to have the worst outcome possible," Alan Comisky, the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department chief, said.

In addition to heavy machinery rescuers have also employed tools like a NASA-developed microwave radar that allows them to "see" through 8 inches (20 cm) of solid concrete. The device can detect human breathing and heartbeats.

President Joe Biden authorized FEMA to join the search last week the day after the collapse occurred. Mr Biden said his administration was willing to help in whatever capacity it could and authorized emergency funds for the recovery, earning praise from the state's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.